Australasia’s vast size makes putting together great itineraries a real challenge. Four specialist agents give their selling tips for the different regions  

New South Wales & South Australia
Angela Chan, travel consultant, RM Adams Travel Agency
Deluxe Grand View Harbour rooms at the Shangri-La in Sydney have real “wow factor”. For more great views attempt the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. Skywalk at Sydney Tower is double the height of the bridge so even better for adrenalin junkies. The best way to see Sydney is from the water – Captain Cook Cruises leave from Circular Quay. Visit Bondi Beach and learn to surf. Or find your wild side in Sydney Zoo and the Aquarium – both are pre-bookable through AAT Kings.

Hire a car and drive to the Blue Mountains, where Scenic World has cable car rides. Stay at Lilianfels, a beautiful Orient-Express property. Perhaps visit the Hunter Valley wineries and take a guided tour of the McWilliams Mount Pleasant estate.

There are many great stops along the way to Melbourne. Canberra has war memorials, art galleries, and the Australian Mint. Cycle around Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial lake in the city centre.

Thredbo is an alpine resort in the Snowy Mountains – it’s a ski resort from June to August and good for mountain walks and
cycling the rest of the year.

The southernmost point of the Australian mainland is Wilsons Promontory national park, where you can see wombats, kangaroos and emus. Squeaky Beach is very accessible, so called because of the noise made as you walk on the sand.

The Great Ocean Road links Melbourne and Adelaide. Drive in a car or campervan; there are lots of places to stop including viewpoints for the Twelve Apostles.

Adelaide has lots of wine trails – spend decadent afternoons sampling the wines of the Barossa and Clare Valleys. Kangaroo Island is a top wildlife spot. If your clients like bushwalking, factor in the Flinders Ranges. It’s good for people who like to do their own thing, and has many vast gorges and beautiful views.


Northern Territory & Queensland
Andrew Bearden, Premier Aussie Specialist
There are countless must-sees and never to be forgotten experiences available for visitors to the region, they would have to return over and over again to see them all.

First-timers wishing to visit the Red Centre and the Great Barrier Reef can fly to Alice Springs where they can pick up a variety of tours from AAT Kings or APT. The most popular being a night in Alice then King’s Canyon, where the Wilderness Resort is a must. Take in a champagne sunset at Uluru and if finances permit, book a few nights at the incredible Longitude 131. After sunrise at the rock, take a leisurely walk or an exhilarating Harley-Davison ride around the base before flying to Cairns.

Cairns is the gateway to tropical North Queensland, but I would recommend booking a self-catering apartment near to the restaurants and pubs of Macrossan Street in Port Douglas. From here one can take boat trips out to the Reef, go hot air ballooning, experience whitewater rafting, visit the world’s oldest rainforest, the Daintree, marvel at the Millaa Millaa falls or just stroll along the four-mile beach in Port Douglas.

Repeat visitors might like to drive to Noosa on the laid-back Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, stopping at the late Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo enroute. Further up the coast is Fraser Island where dingoes can be seen on Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which also doubles as a National Highway.

Another way of travelling is Queensland Rail. From the station at Proserpine the wonderful Whitsunday Islands are easily accessible. If staying on the mainland, the Coral Beach Resort in Airlie Beach is a good option and there are boat trips out to the islands from the adjacent pier. Try the zippy Ocean Rafting for snorkelling and lunch on the dazzling Whitehaven Beach, or the relaxing pace of the 100-year-old sailing ship, Solway Lass.

The dry season for most of the region starts in May and the airfares are at their cheapest in May and June… say no more.

Western Australia
Mike Tattersall, owner/manager, Epsom Worldchoice
Western Australia is the largest, driest, sunniest state in Australia. It has numerous interesting and fascinating places to visit, but the distances between them must not be underestimated, and itineraries need to be planned carefully.

For the first-time visitor, the lovely city of Perth is an obvious choice, with the picturesque Swan river meandering by. A day in the beautiful 1,000-acre Kings Park is an absolute must, with two-thirds left in its natural bushland state. The park has lots of wildlife and amazing botanical gardens.

A good day out would be to join Captain Cook Cruises on a trip down the Swan river to the charming old colonial port of Freemantle and return by coach or train.

First-timers should take a circular tour for a few days, either by car, or with Pinnacle Tours, to Albany, in the south-west, taking in the Margaret river for wine-tasting, the famous Wave Rock and the eerie Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk.

Another good few days out would be to travel north to feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia visiting the renowned moon-like landscape of Pinnacles Desert on the way.

For second-timers, suggest a trip further north to Exmouth to swim with the whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, and stay at the Sal Salis Safari Camp, or the Aboriginal-managed Karijini national park. Both feature luxury eco-tent accommodation.

New Zealand
Ken Garrity, director, Carlton Travel
Starting your tour in Christchurch in South Island, the central Crowne Plaza Hotel is a good place to stay. Christchurch is a walking city on the river Avon, so you don’t need to pick up a car until you’re ready to leave.

An easy 45-mile drive from Christchurch is Akaroa. This is the only place the French landed in New Zealand so the road signs are in French. Near Christchurch airport is the Antarctic Centre, a jumping-off point for explorations to the Antarctic.

Drive across the Canterbury Plain to Mount Cook. Stay at the Hermitage Hotel and take a helicopter flight over the peak, the highest point on South Island. It has to be done!

Queenstown is where much of The Lord of the Rings was filmed and great for soft adventure including bungee jumps and jet boat rides on the Shotover river.

I definitely recommend a day trip to Milford Sound, the scenery is superb. Alternatively why not take a four-day guided walk from Te Anau to Milford Sound.

Crossing the Southern Alps to the west coast, make a visit to the Franz Josef Glacier.

Picton is the main link between South and North Islands. The ferry crossing to Wellington takes just over three hours. Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city, and Te Papa museum is a must-do here.

Take the wine route to Napier via Martinborough. Napier was rocked by an earthquake in the 1930s and rebuilt in an art deco style.

Next stop is geothermal hotspot Rotorua. One of its biggest attractions is its geothermal pools and the geysers. The Agrodome has daily sheep shows.

Driving to Auckland via Waitomo, visitors can visit the glow worm caves.

From Auckland, cruise around the beautiful Bay of Islands and relax on the beaches of Coromandel Peninsula, often referred to as the Cornwall of New Zealand.

Finish up with a couple of nights in Auckland. Stay in the Sebel Suites near the harbour and test your nerve one last time with Sky Jump. This is a controlled fall from the southern hemisphere’s tallest structure, the Auckland Sky Tower.